The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys #5 (The cozy weirdness has gotten uncomfortably familiar. And, wait: is that Maxine and Socks at the end?)

Sandman: Overture #1 (Elegant, mysterious, and impossibly beautiful. Neil Gaiman’s got us reading out of the palm of his handsome mythology once again; and the peerless J.H. Williams makes his end of the Endless look so easy–so easy, in fact, that the experience demands one’s going back to admire his complex layouts and otherworldly attention to detail.)

Wild Blue Yonder #3 (Another high-energy installment of the year’s biggest blockbuster, this one sporting a spectacular–and perfectly peaceful–double-page spread smack dab in the middle. I suspect we’ll have more to say about this one.)

Wild Blue Yonder #3

Saga #15 (Once again, Vaughan and Staples skewer expectations! And how about that final sequence? A willful assault, indeed!)

X-Men: Battle of the Atom #2 (In the end, one epilogue shy of epic brilliance. “[R]idiculous schism,” indeed! The most significant aftermath of this event: figuring out which of the X-books I’ll end up subtracting from my monthly haul as a result of this pointless glossover.)

The Fox #1 (A bit of a disappointment, considering the names attached to it. Had to give it a shot, right? I’m sure you did, too. Well, after this unwieldy, unfunny offering, I’m out. You?)

Mind MGMT #16 (Matt Kindt is the Thomas Edison of comics: he’s invented yet another way to make this book the most involved read on the rack. As important as this story is to the world Kindt’s been building, it is a stand alone issue. Do yourself a favor and pick it up, even if you’re not looking to add another title to your monthly haul; it’s a stunning example of what the medium can do.)

Mind MGMT #16

Velvet #1 (I like the bad-ass Miss Moneypenny angle from Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting. The other angles–all of them right–come together to take the shape of an exceptionally executed exposition.)

Pretty Deadly #1 (Pretty underwhelming. Not entirely Kelly Sue DeConnick’s fault, really. Sure, I wasn’t particularly taken by the–perhaps purposely–juvenile poetry that frames the issue, and Emma Rios’s art was often tough to translate; but I think the main problem is with me–with my bag. Not only am I already invested in wonderfully wild westerns–including BOOM!’s Six-Gun Gorilla, Image’s East of West, and Oni’s The Sixth Gun–I’m seeing similarities, which steal a bit from the experience. Even if they’re complete coincidences, which I assume they are, they’re enough to affect my experience here. To be fair, I’m going to meet #2 at high noon on or around Wednesday 11/27. We’ll see who flinches first.)

Satellite Sam #4 (Had to spend extra time with it to suss out some of the dialogue. Time well spent. Who knew I’d be more interested in the early days of TV than I am in the recent exploits of Captain America and Superman? It’s not what I came back to comics for, but it’s why I’ll be sticking around: an original voice affected effortlessly by Matt Fraction and ridiculously detailed black & white artwork from Howard Chaykin.)

Satellite Sam #4

Harbinger #17 (Wouldn’t have been so terrible if it were terrible, but it wasn’t. Peter and friends live to see another What’s I&N Store post.)

Rat Queens #2 (The joke ran the risk of getting stale–like a chunk of cheese on a ill-placed trap–but then came the end. “[Fudge] buckets,” indeed. At its best, like during the final two-page sequence, Kurtis J. Wiebe’s world spins not unlike something you’d see in Saga. At its worst, it reads like Fraction’s cutting-room floor. Here’s hoping for more of the best.)

Clone #11 (I wasn’t sure where we were headed after #10. Now I know–and I’m stoked! All the way around, a terrific issue. The twriters [that’s tri-writers, to reflect the combined efforts of David Schulner, Aaron Ginsburg, and Wade McIntyre–did I just coin that?] continue to celebrate the unique experience that is the comic book page turn in this fast-paced effort; and the art from Juan Jose Ryp, with colors from Andy Troy, is at its detailed best. Really, really good.)

Clone #11

Sex Criminals #2 (Even filthier than the first, which makes sense since we get the guy’s side here. It goes without saying that I found it hard to relate to. I have a friend, though, who found it remarkably resonant–especially the bit about the–umm–treasure in the woods.)

Daredevil #32 (Quite a ride. Went from hard to diJester to frighteningly flavorful in a single course! Who would’ve thunk it: Mark Waid twists the political slog from #31 into something fiendishly fun and then, just as quickly, into something D-D-deadly. Two fantastic splashes from Chris Samnee, the best being the ironic “They’re not monsters!” monsterpiece. Hard to believe we’re that much closer to the end of this glorious run.)

Daredevil #32

Ultimate Spider-Man #28 (Sad to say, I’m happy that this one’s done.)

Missed a few–The Massive, Numbercruncher, and Death Sentence–for one reason or another; but I won’t be without them for very long.

You may step off of both the pins and the needles. Unless, of course, you’re into that sort of thing. Speaking of…

Sex Criminals #1 (Matt Fraction’s put himself on the Must Buy list with fantastically felonious performances on Hawkeye, FF, and Satellite Sam. As a result, expectations were high here. Didn’t expect a few things, however. I found Suzie’s sexual awakening tough to turn through at times; and her voice is a little too over the top in spots–even for Fraction. In the end, the nod to Nabokov–to Lolita–made it all work for me. [That’s right: Suzie’s playing with her lit. Oh, look at the cover and get over it.] Even still, Fraction’s got some work to do to prove that this book is “not really about sex.” I’m definitely sticking around to find out.)

Ultimate Spider-Man #27 (I don’t care enough to blame anyone for the mess this has become. Will I buy #28? Of course. Will I follow the next chapter of the Miles Morales story? Nope.)

Revival #14 (Uninspired. Tired, even. It’s been a long time coming, but the day has finally come: I’m off.)

Fatale #17 (Very good–especially the end. Not “gonna forget this” ending. Not the way Phillips ramps up the intensity during the assault; not the way Brubaker has Josephine take care of Skip–the piece of $#!%.)

Fatale #17

Red Team #5 (The weakest issue yet. Predictable, and at times indecipherable. One panel, however, may very well go down in comic book history: it gives new meaning to getting blown away.)

Mind MGMT #15 (For the fifteenth–and certainly not the last time: Matt Kindt’s a magician; he does things on the page that no one else can do. Love how he guides us through Meru’s Lyme-cycle and how he punishes Lyme, who’s resigned to the fact that he deserves everything coming his way. Both brutal and beautiful–it’s brutiful!)

Mind MGMT #15

Rat Queens #1 (A lot more fun–and funnier–than I expected it to be. I mean, come on: “Blood loss…hampering wit”? Yeah, right! Without a doubt, I’ll be picking up #2.)

East of West #6 (Best issue yet. Fantastic flashback and return. Hickman’s finally brought this book to the level he’s always at with The Manhattan Projects.)

East of West #6

Wonder Woman: First Born #23.2 (The only villain book I bothered with. It is what it is.)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #26 (Another solid issue. And wouldn’t you know: “this is only the beginning.” Looks like a coups brewin’. Just so happens I like coups. [That reads right, but sounds dirty.])

Mind the Gap #14 (The penultimate issue of Act I follows the same formula as #13: it’s another harmonious dual narrative visualized to perfection by artists Rodin Esquejo and Dan McDaid. The flashback is particularly fantastic: McDaid’s art is beautiful and emotionally effective–especially the wordless nine-panel page, which transitions terrifically on the turn from three cross-marked graves in the past to three cups of coffee in the present. No matter the time period, Jim McCann’s in complete control of the complex storyline; in fact, he’s given birth to the equivalent of a classy lady, this gorgeous Mind the Gap: it’s sexy, sure, enough to lure you in; but it doesn’t give away all its secrets; it knows it’s the mystery that brings ’em back for more.)

Mind the Gap #14

Six-Gun Gorilla #4 (We’re almost to the point where words are no longer enough to describe this soon-to-be classic from Simon Spurrier and Jeff Stokely. These guys are putting on an absolute clinic! Consider: we’ve swung from Thurber’s “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” in #3 to Quinn’s Ishmael here in #4, all while wearing a classic Western motif with an “unconventional twist”–and it’s all done so damn effortlessly.)

Numbercruncher #3 (Suddenly, Simon Spurrier’s vaulted to the top of the Must Read list. As good as Six-Gun Gorilla has been for four issues, this is as good a single issue as you’re gonna find; and Bastard Zane is as unique a voice as you’ll ever hear. Wow. Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. The artwork, too, is worth celebrating; it’s no accident: P.J. Holden and Jordie Bellaire amplify the conflict between the variables of life and the accounting for them in the after through the perfect balance of black & white and color. If you’ve missed this series, do yourself a favor: plan on picking up the trade.)

Numbercruncher #3

Bloodshot and H.A.R.D. Corps #14 (Better than I expected it to be.)

Harbinger #16 (Harbinger meets The Matrix. Dysart’s playing mind games with the Renegades–and with us!)

Kiss Me Satan #1 (I’m not a big werewolf guy, but I liked this. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and Colder‘s Juan Ferreyra elevates Victor Gischler’s story enough to warrant a second issue.)

Uncanny X-Men #12 (The best issue of Battle of the Atom thus far. I know: that’s not saying much. A lot of the credit has to go to Chris Bachalo, who’s done his best work on the series here.)

Uncanny X-Men #12

Buzzkill #1 (Biggest surprise of the week. The promise of the premise is fulfilled over twenty-two intoxicating pages. Expectations have been raised like an upside-down college kid over a keg.)

Justice League: Dial E #23.3 (A brilliant way to say goodbye to a brilliant book: China Mieville dances with the dial and some seriously talented artists–including Mateus Santolouco, Jeff Lemire, Frazer Irving, and Alberto Ponticelli–for the last time? If so, what a dance, indeed.)

Justice League #23.3

Zero #1 (This is the Ales Kot who drew me to Change, the one I was counting on to make something of Suicide Squad. Well, that certainly didn’t happen. Here, however, Kot shows some courage while going Gaza over the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, and he makes great use of time and space. All told–or story-wise, some told , anyway–this book is good therapy: took just this one issue of Zero to get me to stop thinking about Suicide.)

Daredevil #31 (Ripped straight from the headlines and brought straight down upon our heads. Makes me long for the days of the Omega Drive.)

Dream Thief #5 (The series started off really well. It was innovative in its design and was full of energy. And then it just got, well, stupid. Thank goodness it’s over.)

The Sixth Gun #34 (To the pile with ye!)

X-O Manowar #17 (Solid, as always. Aric, one of my favorite current comic characters, channels his father as he does his all-important king thing. But despite his super-powered armor, which he wears arrogantly and aggressively, he may prove powerless against Volo, the uppity upstart, who wields the power of–get this–a super market.)

Clone #10 (Goshdarn it! I really thought we were going to escape the issue with a happy ending!)

Indestructible Hulk #13 (If I could go back in time, I’d pass not only on this issue but on the entire series. I can’t, so I’ll just jump off now. Unfortunately, the House I was promised never quite opened its doors to the exciting interpersonal possibilities.)

Rachel Rising #19 (The best issue yet? You bet! And that’s saying a lot.)

Rachel Rising #19

Captain America #11 (I figured I’d try it now that Cap’s back in the real world and all. Didn’t really care for it. Too many “See what I just did?” moments from Remender. But I’ll cut it a break for what it is: a transition. What it’ll transition to…? Well, that’s the question, isn’t it? If the next one doesn’t answer the question, though, I’m out until a new writer comes on.)

Brain Boy #1 (Wildly uneven effort from the architect of Archer & Armstrong. The art from R.B. Silva, Rob Lean, and Ego is terrific, however. All together, I’ll probably see this three-issue arc through ’til the end.)

Astro City #4 (Another terrific story from Kurt Busiek.)

The Manhattan Projects #14 (Hickman and Pitarra don’t disappoint. They don’t know how to disappoint. Love the final splash, which sells a crazy-eyed, wrench-wielding Oppenheimer much in the same way #12 sold a chainsaw-of-relativity-sporting Einstein.)

The Manhattan Projects #14

The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys #4 (Just as crazy as we’ve come to expect! Hey, it’s the Gerard Way.)

Like this:

Back to work and backed up already. That’s right: I’m man enough to admit it: I’ve got comic book constipation.

God Is Dead #1 (A gaggle of gluttonous gods looking to gang rape Mother Earth? Avatar, the comic book equivalent of Sodom and Gomorrah, gives Jonathan Hickman carte blanche and he wastes no time turning it rouge. What’s not to like about this one?)

Shadowman #10 (Excellent origin story.)

Satellite Sam #3 (Fraction gets even sexier this time around, and Chaykin’s clearly up for it! The latter’s art is spectacular, with plenty of layouts to shout about! A real clinic in visual storytelling.)

Satellite Sam #3

Quantum and Woody #3 (Goofy silly just got goofy good. It’s the new E.R.A.: Edison’s Radical Acquisitions. Now, there’s a movement I can get behind!)

Trillium #2 (A fantastic follow-up to a near flawless first issue. In fact, Lemire’s storytelling’s even stronger here: the art’s pure magic; and the spell, this time, spills over to the dialogue.)

Trillium #2

Uber #5 (The war ain’t lookin’ so good after the battle between H.M.H Colossus and Battleship Sieglinde, is it? (Unless you’re rooting for the Nazis, of course.) The book, however, is lookin’ good and is reading even better–especially during the stretches of wild, wordless action.)

The Mocking Dead #1 (Initially passed on it, but DerekNerd thought I should give it a shot, specifically because Fred Van Lente’s been hitting the mark every month over on Archer & Armstrong. Well, DerekNerd was right–again! This satirical send-up is irreverent as hell and lots of fun; and it proves one thing above all: no one–no institution–is safe from zombies Fred Van Lente!

Deathmatch #9 (Boy, and I thought Jenkins killed it with #8. He kicks it up a notch with a heartbreaking match between Melody Toon and Manchurian, who pulls the “trigger phrase” when he has to. Oh, and he follows that up with a fight that doesn’t end like all the rest. You are reading this, right?)

Wow. A rough week. My go-to joint didn’t have all of the books I expected it to have. As a result, my bag’s a little lighter than I hoped it’d be.

Uncanny X-Men #11 (This is what I’ve been waiting for! It’s Bendis’s best turn on an X-book: stuff actually happens, which is remarkable on its own, sure, but it happens to happen with an uncanny urgency, which is actually kind of all-new for Uncanny; and Irving’s art is stunning–sometimes impossibly so–and exciting, upping the urgency ante page after page. OK, so, this either sets up really well the Battle of the Atom crossover to come, or, more likely, it has set the bar too high. Who knows what the future holds?)

Uncanny X-Men #11

The Massive #15 (The opening sequence, which establishes a tipping point in the relationship between Mag and Georg, is like walking the plank and falling into a sea of tension. Amazingly, Wood and Brown are able to keep the sea roiling even as they rush awkwardly toward the end of the arc; yeah, they certainly haven’t heeded Callum’s wise yet naive call for a more tempered pace: “This isn’t a race”; but, thanks to some shrewd moves, the tension is still very much in-your-face. Oh, and suddenly Mary’s The Massive‘s Mara? Can’t wait to see how that works out.)

The Massive #15

Mind the Gap #13 (An excellent issue. The stingy Jim McCann answers some important questions and does so using two terrific narratives. The juxtaposition of the past and the present is played up superbly, in part, thanks to the very different styles of artists Rodin Esquejo and Dan McDaid. Elle may be dying, but Mind the Gap is very much alive!)

Mind MGMT #14 (If you’re the kind of person who can’t help but judge a book by its cover, then this is the book for you. So wonderful–inside and out. Kindt unearths more about Meru–herself a novel nymph–and does so beautifully, inundating each page with his signature watercolors, proving once and for all that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.)

Mind MGMT #14

Batman/Superman #3 (Similar to Mind the Gap, the past and the present are tackled by two artists with decidedly different styles–here, it’s Jae Lee on “now” and Yildiray Cinar on “then.” Interesting idea, having Clark and Bruce meet as children. Outside of that, Greg Pak continues to serve up a potentially clumsy story with a deft hand. Yup: he’s still monkeying about in Morrisonville, but it’s all good: see, he’s making good on the majesty we all crave when it comes to Superman–Supermen, in this case–and the mystery we want from any and all Batmen.)

Thumbprint #3 (The challenge was pretty great: live up to or surpass somehow the first two issues–each an I&N Book of the Month, by the way. Unfortunately, in the end, like Mal’s necklace, the creative team–adapting Joe Hill’s original story–proved to be all thumbs as they twiddled together this finale. Thumbprint–last month, one issue away from glory–is left to join the ranks of the many mediocre minis that misfired the final round.)

Uncanny #3 (Ended up better than I expected it’d be after last issue. I guess I’ll stick around for another.)

Ultimate Spider-Man #26 (Here I was, after #25, all excited that Miles was back in the suit; heck, I even gave Bendis credit for manipulating me–a staunch maskless Miles supporter–toward that excitement. And what do I get for my trouble? An homage to Where’s Waldo?I guess they weren’t kidding with the “Spider-Man No More” banner on the cover. Sheesh.)

FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics #2 (Umm…what was wrong with Collider?“A rose by any other name,” right? Whatever the title, not particularly interesting–not until the end, anyway. Don’t think it’ll be enough to inspire me to grab #3, though. There’s got to be a formula… Where’s Mr. McKlinsky when I need him?)

The Extinction Parade #2 (Not bad. Despite globetrotting at a bite-neck pace, a bit leaden at times. No surprise here: my wife, again, enjoyed it more than I did.)

American Vampire Anthology #1 (Herein lies the brilliance of Scott Snyder: teams of renowned writers and artists rip and tear their ways through the AV mythology, leaving a blood trail of vignettes, one better than the next. Like the vamps in Ba and Moon’s “Last Night,” I’m “hungry for more. Very hungry”–and I can’t wait to see what happens next!)

American Vampire Anthology #1

So, yeah, my local shops, for some reason, were not well-stocked this week. They didn’t have Lazarus #3, TMNT #25, or FF #11. Crazy, right? Luckily, I have a friend in DerekNerd, who just so happens to call Midtown Comics his regular Wednesday haunt. He was able to score them for me; just have to wait until Monday to get my hands on ’em.

Batwoman #23 (Read it! A lot of running in place, but it does so stylishly: McCarthy has brought his A-game again; I mean, how terrific is the transition from dream-Maggie, who is bleeding out, to a tripping Kate, who’s still stuck in a fear toxin-induced stupor? Stunning.)

Wonder Woman #23 (Read it! Wonder Woman‘s been frustratingly good–yeah, just good–for over a year now. We’ve endured some missteps–some that thoughtlessly pushed it from my pull-list and then some that have brought me to the brink of dropping it entirely; and, remarkably, there have never really been any remarkable moments. The series, up until now, has just been good. And then came #23: “Goddown.” Halle-friggin’-lujah! So many fantastic page turns and subtle touches from Azzarello and Chiang. Finally! Finally, I can put good down–because this issue is great.)

Dream Thief #4 (Read it! Stuck in mediocrity, which is a shame after such a strong first issue–and even more so because only one issue remains. The end, however, is promising. We’ll see what happens.)

Chin Music #2 (Read it! Niles’ story isn’t doing anything for me yet, but Harris’s art is ridiculously good. The layouts, the line work, the attention to detail, the coloring: it’s all pretty amazing. It’s a rare book that I’ll pick up for the art alone; going forward, this may be one of those books.)

Chin Music #2

Revival #13 (Read it! A lot going on, but still hasn’t gotten anywhere significant. I do like how Seeley and Norton worked out Joe’s taking Dr. Weimar’s story, however.)

Revival #13

X-O Manowar #16 (Read it! Solid back and forth between the admirably arrogant Aric and the immortally wise Gilad.)

Bloodshot #0 (Read it! Kindt does a nice enough job building Bloodshot’s backstory, even if it is a bit convoluted at times. Playing to his strength, he tells the story through a first-person narrator, which gives the book the feel of a Mind MGMT sideshow.)

Superman Unchained #3 (Read it! For the most part, I like what Snyder’s developing here with the Wraith. Unfortunately, Jim Lee’s sucking the life out of the story with his soulless, static renderings.)

Superman Unchained #3

Indestructible Hulk #12 (Read it! Actually kind of fun! Waid handles the troika of Kids really well, and the Hulk–with the help of Scalera’s art–does his best Six-Gun Gorilla impression while cleaning up the more-than-one dinosaur town. And once again, I’m not hating the dinosaurs. I’ve really evolved over the past year, no?)

X-Men #4 (Read it! Four books in–ugh!–we’re left to suffer through a one-and-done filler issue that accomplishes very little basically because The Battle of the Atom’s up next. Would it’ve made more sense to start the series alongside the mini or even after?)

Animal Man #23 (Read it! The Brother Blood side of the story isn’t as terrible as I thought it’d be. The Maxine side reads a lot like something out of John Ney Rieber’s Books of Magic monthly series from back in the day. It all comes together well enough with some blood red betrayal–like totemly!)

Batman and Nightwing #23 (Read it! A terrific extension of Morrison’s vision that culminates in a touching moment that we might not have expected but that we–and Alfred–definitely deserved. I love how Tomasi compassionately promotes Alfred to Bruce’s peer-in-grief with a simple omission: “Oh God, Bruce…” Cements itself as the best Batman book goin’.)

Daredevil #30 (Read it! Great opening with Kirsten McDuffie. She and Matt have great chemistry, don’t they? The rest of the story plays out well enough–that is until Daredevil takes control of the Surfer’s board and Samnee and Rodriguez paint the town red and silver. They absolutely soar with Waid’s wit at their backs–all the way to the bitter bookend.)

Buying comics shouldn’t be so darned complicated! Or maybe it should be. Maybe therein lies the worth.

Saga #13 (Read it! This thirteenth impression’s a pretty damn good one, proving that, yes, even after a few months off, this baby–despite its modesty, this “sacred text”–has still got legs.)

Suicide Squad #23 (Read it! Really, really not good. Ales Kot–scribe of the magnificent mindf___ Change–clearly wasn’t suited for the book. But that’s OK: he’s got a couple of promising books in the Image pipeline; and Matt Kindt, who’s got even more irons in the fire, is the new god of the Squad. Can’t wait to see how that pans out.)

East of West #5 (Read it! Hickman’s hitting the “Wow!” button and making it look easy! Some writers out there should be taking notes.)

East of West #5

Breath of Bones: A Tale of the Golem #3 (Read it! It was OK; I mean, it certainly is what I was hoping for from the get-go: the golem finally kicks some serious Nazi hintern. But, in the end, I was left a bit flat–kind of like my own hintern–perhaps because the grandfather, who was the source of most of the emotional punch, is replaced by the brutish golem, whose punch is of a more physical sort. Wait a sec. Hmm. Suddenly I ain’t feelin’ so flat anymore. Clever, Mr. Niles. Very clever.)

Batman #23 (Read it! Starts off well enough–very well, in concept, anyway. Execution-wise, it’s a bit clunky. This is supposed to be the moment in Bruce’s life; instead, it feels like a moment–one that’s not nearly the same caliber as Red Hood’s gun. As the story crawls its way toward Bruce’s Batpiphany, Snyder struggles with drawing out the psychological side of the journey. In fact, he would’ve been better off letting Capullo carry it through to the end without the weight of his burdensome words. That would’ve been something.)

Batman #23

Uncanny X-Men #10 (Read it! Gonna be honest: I liked it. Oh, how I’ve longed to say it! I want to say it again: I liked it! I especially enjoyed Frazer Irving’s work this time around; it’s the first time he’s left me feeling like he owns the characters.)

Uncanny X-Men #10

Deathmatch #8 (Read it! Two monster matches! Each fight hits the right notes, reaching the height of harmony between the physical and the psychological. Plenty brutal, sure; but emotionally engaging, as well.)

Mind the Gap #12 (Read it! A really good read. Like the issues come before, this one peels back another layer and brings, however briefly, a feeling of satisfaction–of “almost there.” Thing is, it’s all a tease: we’re dealing with a “one step forward, two steps back” narrative; and wouldn’t you know, as frustrating as it is, the experience is all the better for the strategy. Kudos to Mr. McCann–for effing with our minds and making it feel oh so good!)

Harbinger #15 (Read it! Sneaky, sneaky. Dysart sets a trap early on with the title–“Perfect Day”–and a general feeling of frivolousness, and then he springs it with a crazy ending. My only wish: that the final page followed a page turn. That would’ve delivered a bigger punch. And as it turns, Kitson’s art isn’t much of a drag here as it was on Bloodshot. See, folks: I can be fair, after all.)

Harbinger #15

Archer & Armstrong #12 (Read it! As solid as always. Fred Van Lente’s got it down to a science, and Pere Perez’s art is the perfect complement.)

The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys #3 (Read it! An odd experience. Feels scattered and tidy all at the same time. Not sure how much value there is in this story or in the storytelling, but I’m going to ride it out, nevertheless; it’s only a six issue series, for goodness sake.)

Six-Gun Gorilla #3 (Read it! So good. Spurrier adds another dimension as he builds upon Blue’s background as a librarian: in doing so, he joins Saga‘s Vaughan by plowing into the power of fiction. Monkey bar raised yet again!)

Another Wednesday in NYC meant another trip to Midtown Comics–and another week of plucking top-shelf books from the middle of the Great Wall O’Comics.

Fatale #16 (Read it! Solid, sure, but not as transcendent as it’s been. No real missteps, just didn’t get the feeling I typically get during and after reading. Hey: it’s bound to happen–especially with the titles that kill it from issue to issue.)

Fatale #16

Dial H #15 (Read it! A crazy, convoluted concoction–everything we’ve come to love about this misfit book! Too bad it couldn’t really find its place in the DCU–or an audience. We sure as heck did our best to promote it; but, alas, it wasn’t enough. From the get-go, however, it was clear: Dial H wasn’t a terribly accessible title. Thank you China Mieville, Alberto Ponticelli, Dan Green, Mateus Santolouco, Dave Lapham, and Brian Bolland for dialing me dizzy for fifteen fantastic issues.)

Buck Rogers #1 (Read it! Howard Chaykin’s always worth a shot. Here, though, probably just this one. While it read well enough, it didn’t quite clear the bar, which is set pretty darned high–especially for outliers like this. Hey: as much as I’d like to, I can’t read everything!)

Sheltered #2 (Read it! A very strong follow up to a superb opening act. Looks like Brisson might really have something here.)

Sheltered #2

Daredevil: Dark Nights #3 (Read it! Some impressive twists weighed down just a bit by some inevitable schmaltz, especially related to what’s been driving DD to complete his mission of mercy.)

All-New X-Men #15 (Read it! Once again, an issue that accomplishes very little. Feels like we’re just killing time leading up to the big crossover event. Has felt that way for a while, actually.)

Sidekick #1 (Read it! I liked it more than I didn’t. What kept me from loving it? It’s the battle that rages amongst the pages: a battle for the ages between clever and cliche. Kudos to DerekNerd for noticing that this reads like a Mark Millar book. If you didn’t think of it before, I bet you’re noticing it now.)

The Manhattan Projects #13 (Read it! Same old, same old. And by that, I mean super good. Hickman, Pitarra, and Bellaire never take a month off. Oh, and how about that JFK?)

Quantum and Woody #2 (Read it! Really liked the beginning. Asmus kicks off the second installment with a clever conversation–between Woody and me!–and some intelligent humor. In fact, I was thinking top of the pile for the week. However, it got a bit sophomoric–and jokingly homophobic–as the issue progressed. I get it: it’s meant to amplify Woody’s immaturity; but I think, in the end, it detracted from the development of the story.)

Trillium #1 (Read it! One word–for now anyway: finally.)

Trillium #1

Satellite Sam #2 (Read it! Issue #1 was one of my favorites for July, and there’s no let up here. Fantastic follow up from Fraction and Chaykin. So fabulously different from everything else.)